Page 61 of Shatter

He's been remembering every day for weeks.

"Why are you telling me this?" My voice comes out smaller than I want it to.

Aesir picks his mug back up and looks at me over the rim.

"Because you don't want Hakon's money." He raises one gray eyebrow. "And I figure a woman who counts her change twice at the Walmart register would rather earn it."

My face goes hot.

He saw.

Of course he saw.

"Think about it." He pushes off the counter and heads for the far door, the one on his side of the room. "Tell Hakon if you want it. He'll set it up."

He goes out.

I stand there alone in the kitchen with my coffee going cold in my hands, staring at the empty space where he stood.

Later, in the dark, I lie in Hakon's bed and watch him fold himself into the chair by the door.

He does it the same way every night.

Boots off and lined up against the wall, cut hung over the back of the chair.

He sits with his legs stretched out and his arms crossed over his chest.

Within ten minutes, his breathing goes slow.

Two weeks, and he's never once come near the bed.

"Aesir told me about the bakery." My voice sounds too loud in the dark.

He opens his eyes.

"Yeah?" His voice is rough. "What do you think?"

"I think I haven't baked anything in a while." I stare at the ceiling fan. "I used to do it at night, when I couldn't sleep. My father's house had a kitchen the size of this entire room, and nobody ever went in it but the cook, and at one in the morning it was mine."

He doesn't say anything.

He's listening, though.

I can tell by the way the chair stops creaking.

"I'll think about it." I pull the blanket up to my chin.

"Okay." The chair creaks. "Get some sleep."

"Why do you do that?" I roll onto my side to face him. "Sleep in the chair. It's your bed."

He doesn't answer for so long I think he's fallen asleep.

"Because the chair's by the door." His voice is low, barely there. "And the bed isn't."

I think I know what he means.

I watch the dark outline of him until my eyes get heavy, and the last sound I hear is the fan ticking around.